Green Pistachio Pudding Bread

This pistachio bread is a crowd favorite that is sure to make an impression at the kitchen table. Moist, flavorful, and perfect for any time of the day, you can serve it for breakfast. It makes a great companion for a coffee break, kids’ lunch boxes, or an after-dinner dessert. This will remind you of your favorite sweet breads from your grandmother’s kitchen, light and just right. A flavorful treat, it’s a natural on st patricks day with its glorious, vibrant pistachio shade, but it’s so delicious that you’ll want to serve it year-round. 

From the almond glaze to the sweet taste of pudding and everyone’s favorite nuts, this bread is easy to bake, stores beautifully, and makes any occasion special, filling the kitchen with the rich scent of home-baked goods. You’ll want to have plenty on hand, so feel free to simply double the recipe and store a loaf or two in the freezer for company or late-night snacking. 

I love presenting this quick bread in a decorative bread wrapper for a special gift. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This recipe is easy to customize and can be flavored exactly to your taste.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Tips for Success 

Be sure to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit before placing the quick bread in to bake. Pre-heating is important for baked goods such as pistachio bread, which need a strong, initial blast of heat to rise to perfection before setting. This keeps the quick bread from going flat.

Mix the main ingredients of the cake mix with the eggs, pudding mix, hot water, and oil, gently, for a light, moist baked good.

Gently fold in the pistachios or any nuts you’re using afterward, mixing them in. This keeps your batter just right for a light, quick bread while also helping evenly disperse the nuts. 

Storage & Reheating

To store the pistachio bread, wrap it tightly in Saran Wrap and keep it on the counter or in a bread bin; it will keep for 4 to 5 days. Refrigerating the loaf extends the storage life by an extra day. Or you can freeze it in a freezer-safe storage bag or sealed container for up to 4 months.  

It’s easy to reheat pistachio bread. 

Oven: Preheat to 350 F. Lightly sprinkle the loaf or slice with a little water and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. For a whole loaf, heat for 10–15 minutes, individual slices, 5–10 minutes. 

Microwave:

Wrap a slice in a damp paper towel and microwave for 10–20 seconds.

Stovetop: (slices)

Add a small amount of butter to a skillet, place your slices in, and heat over low-medium heat.

Serving Suggestions

Green Pistachio Pudding Bread is a quick bread that’s perfect anytime of the day. 

This tasty green bread is fine on its own, and we enjoy it at room temperature or warmed up, but why not gild the lily and add butter to your slice? 

For breakfast, try serving it with your favorite hot beverage, such as tea, coffee, or hot milk, and a glass of juice or a simple fruit plate for a light and just-right breakfast. Enjoy pistachio bread on your coffee break. After dinner, you can serve pudding bread with tea or coffee for a delicious, not overly sweet dessert.

Serve pistachio bread with a simple cheese and fruit side dish, such as Fruit Salad to Die For or Fruit Salsa with Baked Cinnamon Chips, for a light snack anytime of the day. 

FAQs

I want to serve Green Pistachio Pudding Bread at my office party. Can I make more than the recipe calls for?

Not only is this green bread recipe quick and easy to make, but it’s also wildly popular at get-togethers, and you’ll be glad that you brought plenty for everyone to enjoy. Simply double the recipe, and you’ll have enough quick bread to satisfy everyone at your office party. 

I like the idea of green bread, but what if I don’t have any food coloring on hand? 

While the green color makes a pretty pistachio bread presentation, it doesn’t affect the taste of this treat, so just follow the recipe and carry on without the food coloring.

Can I make Green Pistachio Bread Pudding ahead of time?

Yes! This bread tastes even better the next day as the flavors settle and deepen. Bake it a day in advance, once it’s cooled wrap it snugly in saran wrap or tin foil, and it’s ready to serve when you are.

Can I make this pistachio bread without nuts? Simply leave the nuts out if you prefer a smoother bread or want a nut-free option. The pistachio bread will still be moist, tasty, and delicious. 

Notes

This tasty Green Pistachio Pudding Bread recipe takes me back to my grandmother’s kitchen, when she would serve a hot loaf of bread fresh from the oven, thickly cut and generously slathered with butter, and serve it with tall glasses of cold milk for the kids or coffee for the grown-ups, as we talked and shared stories and laughter while savoring the warm treat. 

Easy Green Pistachio Pudding Bread Recipe

Moist Green Pistachio Pudding Bread made with simple pantry staples. Easy to customize, perfect for st patricks day or year-round baking.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 1 box 15.25 oz. Yellow or golden butter cake mix, uncooked
• 2 boxes 3.4 oz. each Instant pistachio pudding mix, uncooked
• 4 Large eggs room temperature
• 1 cup Full-fat sour cream
• ¼ cup Vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp. Water
• 2-4 drops Green food coloring optional, for an enhanced festive hue
• 2 tbsp. Granulated white sugar
• 1 tsp. Ground cinnamon
• ½ cup Dry roasted pistachios finely chopped
• 1 cup Powdered sugar sifted
• 1 tsp. Pure vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. Almond extract
• 2 to 3 tbsp. Whole milk

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Generously coat two standard 8×4-inch or 9×5-inch bread loaf pans with non-stick baking spray, or line them with parchment paper slings for clean extraction.
• In a small bowl, stir together the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon until fully combined, then set this streusel mixture aside.
• In an extra-large mixing bowl, combine the uncooked dry yellow cake mix and both boxes of dry instant pistachio pudding mix, whisking for 10 seconds to distribute the powders evenly.
• Add the 4 large eggs, full-fat sour cream, vegetable oil, water, and green food coloring (if using) directly into the dry starch bowl.
• Use an electric hand mixer on low speed for 30 seconds to moisten the ingredients, then increase the speed to medium and beat aggressively for 1 full minute until the batter is thick, velvety, and completely lump-free.
• Divide exactly half of the dense green batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans, using a spatula to smooth the layers flat. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar streusel mixture uniformly across the batter surfaces in both pans.
• Spoon the remaining half of the pistachio batter carefully over the cinnamon layers, sealing the sugar ribbon completely inside. Drag a butter knife gently through the batter in a zig-zag pattern to slightly swirl the layers without over-blending them.
• Scatter the ½ cup of finely chopped roasted pistachios evenly across the top raw surfaces of both loaves, pressing the nuts lightly into the batter so they anchor tightly during the rise.
• Bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven the exact moment the loaves are beautifully domed and a toothpick inserted into the center of the crumb comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let the loaves cool in their pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes before transferring them to a serving plate.
• While the bread cools, prepare the glaze. Whisk the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and 2 tablespoons of whole milk together in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle the velvety glaze generously across the warm loaves, letting it set for 10 minutes before slicing.

Keyword Easy Green Pistachio Pudding Bread Recipe